Second-order inelastic analysis of cable-stayed bridges

In this study, a fiber hinge beam–column model is proposed for predicting ultimate load-carrying capacity and ultimate behavior of cable-stayed bridges. Both geometric and material nonlinearities are included in the analysis. The geometric nonlinearities are captured using stability functions obtained from the exact stability solution of a beam–column subjected to axial force and bending moments. The material nonlinearities are considered by tracing the uniaxial stress–strain relationship of each fiber on the cross-sections located at the integration points along the member length. Using only one element per member in structural modeling, the nonlinear responses predicted by the proposed model compare well with those given by the commercial finite element package ABAQUS. Some numerical examples are presented to verify the accuracy and computing efficiency of the proposed model.